Return of winter ice fishing conditions

Having spent two days in a row shoveling our driveway and parking pad, I can attest that winter is back, and so are more solid and drier ice conditions on core-area Mat-Su lakes. Mike Hudson with 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla told a similar message on Tuesday of this week. How long the ice remains solid will be dependent upon the weather. The earliest I can remember having open water on some of Mat-Su Valley’s core-area lakes is about mid-April, but that is quite unusual. Most years I quit walking on lake ice in the core area around the first of April, but with unusually cold weather I’ve been comfortable, during cold springs, fishing through the middle of April.

Further north at Long Lake along the Glenn Highway, or Lake Louise good ice conditions can last quite a bit longer, Although a person should always be observant and cautious while venturing out onto the ice — and especially around areas where water current may be moving under the ice, near spring holes in the ice, or near dark rotten-looking ice. With all that said, there may be another two weeks of decent ice fishing conditions, even in the core area, and perhaps three or four weeks on some of the lakes further north up the Glenn or Parks Highways.

Open Water Fishing Coming Soon

I stopped by Sportsman’s Warehouse in Wasilla last week, and noticed the store had a lot of new fishing gear. An employee mentioned they were getting another big shipment of additional fishing gear that should be out on display by Wednesday April 18.

When I was asking Mike Hudson what was new this week, he mentioned that 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle was receiving a lot of new fly fishing gear along with a considerable amount of northern pike fishing gear for open water fishing.

A couple weeks ago I received a flyer from the Anchorage Bass Pro Shops, advertising their annual month long fishing sale.

In last week’s column I mentioned the Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show will be held at the Menard Center in Wasilla on April 11-13.

Anglers and businesses alike are busy getting ready for another open water fishing season in Alaska, and pre-season sales are often a good opportunity to find useful new tackle items and / or save some money by purchasing ahead of time. So far I have observed many rods, reels, and tackle items remaining at similar prices to what I’ve seen in the past, however, I wonder if costs may go up when tariffs are tacked onto imported items. Many products sold in the sport fishing industry are imported.

Besides parts for building custom rods, I’ve purchased some new reels, a bulk spool of braided fishing line, a few lures, and 5 packages of small-gap single hooks — all of which I plan to use this spring / summer. I am also considering a new set of waders, and a couple of personal use dip nets before the open-water fishing season arrives. My wife thinks I need a newer truck to tow a boat around, and while I agree that would be nice, I am hesitant about investing that much money.

She does have a point, though, I would not want to be spending prime fishing time looking for a new vehicle.

Ocean King Salmon

I’ve heard from a couple friends of mine about people catching some nice large king salmon in the ocean recently. I’ve even seen some pictures of beautiful chrome fish taken out of Homer, and another from the Kodiak Island area. As announced by ADF&G, emergency order king salmon regulation will be kicking in before long. For anyone on the fence, before the end of March could be prime time to try for a king salmon out on the salt. Homer, Seward, and Prince William Sound near Montague Island are the places I hear about the most. For most Mat-Su anglers (including me) this would likely be a charter situation.

Shrimp, Anyone?

One of my nephews asked me if I would be interested in going shrimp fishing out of Whittier sometime in April, Quite a few people have been doing that the past few years, but it is something I have not tried. Some of my nephews took their boat, and caught a few shrimp last year, but they did considerably more shrimp fishing than catching. Just one more option to consider, as before long April will be here — the time of year when I do not venture out on the ice — but there may be about a month before many open-water fishing opportunities exist in the Mat-Su. For Mat-Su anglers it may be time to consider some road trips, before long.

Good luck and Fish On!